Yarn feed means

ABSTRACT

A device for feeding textile yarn and including an adjustable diameter pulley which has a pair of opposed pulley elements with interengaging conical faces, each face having alternating segmental portions, and means for moving the pulley elements axially relative to each other to increase or decrease the effective pulley diameter. The pulley elements are mounted on and rotatable with a mounting shaft and spring biased apart and capable of being locked in any adjusted position of the interengaging conical faces by a conical ended screw and complementary shaped hole between one element and the shaft.

Unlted States Patent 1191 1111 3,907,189 Griffith Sept. 23, 1975 [54] YARN FEED MEANS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Inventor: John Dalton Griffith159 758055 9/1956 United Kingdom 226/193 Havenbaulk Ave, L1ttleover, Derby, Derbyshire, England Primary Examiner-Richard A. Sehacher 22 Filed; 8, 9 Attorney, Agent or FirmJames E. Nilles [2]] Appl. No.: 440,773 [57] ABSTRACT A device for feeding textile yarn and including an ad- [30] Foreign Application Priority Data just-able diameter pulley which has a pair of opposed Feb. 9. 1973 United Kingdom 6629/73 P y elements with ihterchgugihg conical @9691 each face having alternating segmental portions, and means 52 us. 01 226/176; 226/182 for moving the P y element-5 axially relative to each 1511 Int. c1. 86511 17/22 other to increase or decrease the effeflivc P y [58] Field of Search 226/178, 179. 182, 190, ameter- The P y elements are mounted Oh and 22 /193 41; 254 90 R, 19 tatable with a mounting shaft and spring biased apart and capable of being locked in any adjusted position [56] References Cited of the interengaging conical faces by a conical ended UNITED STATES PATENTS screw and complementary shaped hole between one element and the shaft. 3,203,608 8/l965 Mogohs 226/l82 X 3,339,819 9/1967 Gollos .t 226/190 4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures YARN FEED MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns a yarn feed means and while the invention is primarily intended for use in the feeding of textile yarn, it may be used in other fields such as in the wire manufacturing industry. The term yarn therefore is used in a generic sense to include within its meaning any continuous flexible filamentary material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to provide a feed means which can be simply adjusted to enable feed rate of the yarn to be altered precisely.

Thus according to the present invention a yarn feed means comprises a feed device consisting of a pair of disc like elements each having an interrupted conical face whereby the elements can be moved into a position such that one interrupted conical face interengages the other interrupted conical face, there being on one element a screw means arranged to pass into a conical recess in a mounting shaft for the device, and spring means between said elements arranged, in use, to tend to hold the elements apart.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to one practical form thereof, and with reference to the accompanying somewhat schematic drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a yarn feed means mounted upon a carrying shaft, and

FIG. 2 is a frontal elevation of one of the yarn feed elements and showing a yarn in one position thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings a yarn feed element comprises two yarn feed elements 10, 11 each of which is of a form such that one face is in the form of an interrupted cone, there being therefore segments 12 lying on the face of a cone separated by spaces 13 equal in size to the segments 12. Each element has a central boss 14 through which can pass a mounting shaft 15.

One of the elements, in this case element 11, has, in addition, a boss 16 on its non-conical face and through this boss are drilled two radial holes 17 and 18. The hole 18 is screw threaded to receive screw 19 provided with a conical end 20 and the hole 17 serves to receive a dowel pin 21.

The shaft is provided with a conical recess 22 into which the end of the screw 19 can enter (The recess 22 is preferably of an identical cone angle to that of the conical end 20 of the screw 19). In addition the shaft 15 is provided with a keyway 23 into which the dowel pin 21 can pass.

Between the two elements 10, 1 l is provided a spring 24 which tends normally to hold the elements 10, ll apart.

The shaft 15 is provided with spaced peripheral grooves into which seat a pair of snap rings 25. The snap rings 25 serve as stops against which, in their most separated position, the elements 10, II will abut. In the arrangement being described the element 10 will always abut a snap ring 25.

A yarn to be fed is indicated by the reference numeral 26.

In use, to achieve the highest yarn feed rate the screw 19 is screwed down to cause its conical end 20 to ride down the face of the recess 22 in the shaft 15 thereby to cause the element 11 to move towards the element 10 to cause maximum intercngagement between the interrupted conical faces of the elements thus the yarn 26 moves around the feed device at a maximum radius from the centre of the elements. In this condition the spring 24 is compressed.

To reduce the feed rate the screw is unscrewed and the spring 26 pushes the elements 10, Il apart thus allowing the yarn to move inwardly due to partial separation of the interengaged interrupted conical faces of the elements 10, 11. The yarn is now therefore moving along a path which is of smaller radius and thus feed rate is reduced.

A feed means such as that described above can conveniently be used for the feeding of a weft thread or catch thread to a narrow fabrics needle loom, which latter yarn will be used to lock the chain stitch selvedge produced by the selvedge knitting needle.

Clearly there are many other applications for the feed means, both in the textile industry and, for example, the wire manufacturing industry.

I claim:

I. A yarn feed means comprising a rotatable mounting shaft, said shaft having a conical recess in its periphery, a pair of disc like elements mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, each of said elements having an interrupted conical face whereby the elements can be moved into a position such that one interrupted conical face interengages the other interrupted conical face, a screw means on one element and arranged to pass into said conical recess in said mounting shaft, and spring means between said elements and biasing said elements apart.

2. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which the conical faces of the feed elements are each provided with alternating segmental portions and spaces.

3. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which said shaft has an axially extending keyway on its periphery, one feed element is provided with a boss on its non-conical face, there being a radial screwed hole in said boss to receive a conical ended screw, a second radial hole in said boss, and a dowel pin extending through said second hole and into said keyway in the mounting shaft.

4. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which 'the mounting shaft is provided with a pair of spaced apart peripheral grooves adapted to receive snap rings 

1. A yarn feed means comprising a rotatable mounting shaft, said shaft having a conical recess in its periphery, a pair of disc like elements mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, each of said elements having an interrupted conical face whereby the elements can be moved into a position such that one interrupted conical face interengages the other interrupted conical face, a screw means on one element and arranged to pass into said conical recess in said mounting shaft, and spring means between said elements and biasing said elements apart.
 2. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which the conical faces of the feed elements are each provided with alternating segmental portions and spaces.
 3. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which said shaft has an axially extending keyway on its periphery, one feed element is provided with a boss on its non-conical face, there being a radial screwed hole in said boss to receive a conical ended screw, a second radial hole in said boss, and a dowel pin extending through said second hole and into said keyway in the mounting shaft.
 4. A yarn feed means as claimed in claim 1 in which the mounting shaft is provided with a pair of spaced apart peripheral grooves adapted to receive snap rings between which the feed elements are located. 